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Friday, July 07, 2006

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Basic Instructions Before Leaving EarthThe Earth today is bombarded by the many abominations and atrocities that befall the people, leading them unto damnation and eternal death. Sexual immorality, murder, adultery are few of many disgracefulness that arises upon the world; for this reason we must bring ourselves unto the foot of the cross, give our hearts unto the Lord and repent from our sins. But to do so, we need a guide, a guide that will guide us unto the presence of Jesus. Where is this guide and what’s its name? This is guide is provided by God and is called The Holy Bible; it’s not hard to find this guide as it can be found in your nearest book store.

The Holy BibleThe Bible is a book written by Jewish prophets diligently guided by God, all of which consists of 66 books. The Bible is no ordinary or as commonly called a philosophical or mythological book. It is a book with the very embodiment of the words of God, able to fight, defend and change your heart desires unto the desires of God; it is able keep you living a pure life in Christ.

The Holy Bible is a book written by prophets chosen by God and inspired by the Holy Ghost (www.amazingfacts.org).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:21)Just as the Bible is inspired by God so is the Bible a tool for guidance to live a spiritual life in Christ, Jesus, and cannot be broken or proven untrue.

“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken…” (John 10:35)The Bible is a life changing Holy Book of God; of the course of 66 books, it completely maintains consistency throughout all 66 books. Throughout the 1500 years that the Bible was being written, 40 different people partook in the writing of the Bible, all of which were from different education levels and backgrounds, and in most cases never met (www.bibleunisversity.com). Yet, despite these obstacles, the entire Bible maintains consistency in all of its writings in all 66 books.

“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17)

Accuracy

“Ancient artifacts unearthed by archaeologists repeatedly confirm the accuracy and truth of the Bible (www.bibleuniversity.com).” Several decades ago the Bible was deemed inaccurate due to skeptics persistently accusing the Bible as inaccurate and false in regard to historical facts such as the world is round, which indeed the Bible says it is centuries before man proved it (Isaiah 40:22). The following examples depict the accuracy and consistency of the Bible:

The Fall of Tyre

Tyre, a city off the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was rich and luxurious in its majesty and harbored many ships for trading. It experienced its golden age when King of Tyre, Hiram, joined two islets by landfill, and extended the city further by claiming area from the sea; its colonies spread across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic (www.middleeast.com/tyre). But God saw iniquities in the heart of men in the City of Tyre and judged them, He said:

“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.” (Ezekiel 26:3-5)

And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 26:12-14)“Prosperity and power make their own enemies” (www.middleeast.com/tyre); in the early sixth century, King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, laid siege against Tyre for 13 years (www.middleeast.com/tyre). But the siege didn’t stop there; Tyre was able to withstand the siege against Nebuchadnezzar, but not another siege against Alexander the Great. Alexander was seeking a restore point for his army and so that he may use in his aid to take control of the Eastern Mediterranean (joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/id34.html). He blockaded the city and strategized a plan using siege engines; he was able to successfully burst and destroy the fortifications of the city, marched in and took control of Tyre.

From hence on, Tyre was known to be the gathering grounds for fishing just as the Lord said it would happen. Interestingly, there are four important points in which Ezekiel 26:3-5 and 12-14 says (Finley, 17):

The walls of Tyre will be destroyed to the ground

The towers will be destroyed to the ground

It will be a place for spreading fishnets

It shall never be built again

Its extraordinary how accurate and precise the Bible and God is when describing the future conviction of anything regarding the Earth. The four points above were all accurately met and fulfilled in this prophecy against Tyre for their wicked ways, thus they were judged. The walls of Tyre were breached and destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the debris of Tyre was completely decimated to the ground with the siege of Alexander the Great. As Mark Finley, Pastor for the “It is Written Ministries”, put it: “The city has never been rebuilt to its former greatness. Through history, many cities have undergone destruction and most have been rebuilt. The ravages of war decimated such cities as Rome, Italy, Frankfurt, Germany; London, England; Hiroshima, Japan; and a host of others. Today, they are again thriving metropolises. But Tyre is not.” (Finley, 16-17)(Italics entered for clarification)The Fall of Egypt

The once powerful nation of Egypt was thought to be invincible, never to be conquered, and never to overthrown. But, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Wail and say, "Alas for that day!" “For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near-a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.” (Ezekiel 30:2-4)“I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. No longer will there be a prince in Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land.” (Ezekiel 30:13)“The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you. I will cause your hordes to fall by the swords of mighty men-the most ruthless of all nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt, and all her hordes will be overthrown.” (Ezekiel 30:2-4)

The Lord spoke unto Ezekiel, and Ezekiel prophesied against Egypt and, through, predicted of the fall of Egypt, despite the majestic foundations upon the feet of Egypt. Around the seventh century, just as Ezekiel predicted, the Babylonians attacked Egypt and overthrew the great and potent Empire (Finley, 14). Over the years, thieves plundered the remains of the once great city of Egypt and took possession of valuables in the tombs, palaces and pyramids; the thieves also smashed the idols of Egypt unto the ground, just as the Lord has said (Finley, 14-15). Jesus’ Birth Foretold

The follow prophecies predict Jesus’ birth; following are the fulfillment of each prophecy. Let’s let the Bible speaks for It self: Prophecy“The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy 18:17-19)Fulfillment“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:10-11)Prophecy“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)Fulfillment“But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)Jesus’ Death ForetoldThe following are prophecies and fulfillments of Jesus’ Death: Prophecy“Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:16-18)Fulfillment“When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” (Matthew 27:35)"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.” (John 19:24)These are but a few of the many fulfilled prophecies in the Holy Scriptures; in addition they provide perfect consistency, considering the time, date and the vast array of people who wrote the Bible, whom had not even met. The Bible is no ordinary book, “Some books are inspiring-the Bible is inspired. Some books may be enlightening-the Bible comes from “the light of the World” (Finley, 19, John 8:12). The Bible is a book that will change your life and your heart. The following is a short summary of the Bibles’ inspiration adapted from Mark Finley’s book, “The Next Superpower” (12):

Cohesive Unity:The Bible was written more than 40 authors of various different backgrounds, over a period of 1500 years, and yet it still maintains perfect unity and consistency.

Internal Declaration:The Bible claims and declares that it was inspired by God over 3000 places, 40 authors, all with different backgrounds and professions.

Fulfilled Prophecy: Many prophecies have been fulfilled in the Bible, here we discussed only but a few.

Life-Changing Power:The Bible is a book with life changing incredible powers given by God. Those who listen will experience a change of life and a change of heart.

Perennial Appeal:The Bible is still the number one best seller, and its word will never seize to be told and discovered.

Universal Appeal:The Bible is the best selling book, and translated in the most languages than any other book in the world. How can such a book go unnoticed? This book appeals to young and old alike.

ConclusionThe Bible is no ordinary book. It is a book filled with great accuracy in history and holds many mysteries such as the end of time, prophecy and the future of humanity. How can a book written by more than 1500 hundred years ago and over 40 different people, all in different ages and backgrounds, be written with such accuracy and precision in such a manner which can describe periods in history in great accuracy, all while being perfectly consistent; there is no contradictions in the Bible. The Bible is a life changing book, able to change the most faint of hearts, no matter your will nor your desire, if one is willing to give his or her heart unto the Lord, He will mold it and turn it into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). A Final WordI pray that you will use your God given power of choice to choose God above all pleasure of the world, and out of your own will give yourself unto the Lord, offer Jesus your heart and He will mold it into a heart of flesh.“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)What’s Coming Up…We have just discussed the truth, validity, accuracy, and consistency of the Bible. Our next subject will be concerning the Ten Commandments, Sin and Jesus. Just exactly what is the Ten Commandments and sin? Who is Jesus, and how are we saved by His everlasting grace? These are the type of questions that we will be discussing in our next section: “Jesus, the Cross, and the Ten Commandments.” May the Lord Bless you and enrich your mind with His everlasting grace. “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:22-26)